Taismary Agüero

Taismary Agüero
Personal information
Full name	Taismary Agüero Leiva Botteghi
Nickname	Tai, Fenomeno, Extraterrestre
Nationality	Italy
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Weight	69 kg (152 lb)
Spike	322 cm (127 in)
Block	300 cm (120 in)
Volleyball information
Position	Wing Spiker
Current club	Carnaghi Villa Cortese
Number	12
National team
Cuba 1993 - 2001 Italy 2007 - 2009 Italy
Honours Women’s Volleyball Olympic Games Representing Cuba 1996 Atlanta Team 2000 Sydney Team World Championships 1998 Japan Team FIVB World Cup 1995 Japan Team 1999 Japan Team Representing Italy European Championships 2007 Belgium/Luxembourg Team 2009 Poland Team FIVB World Cup 2007 Japan Team FIVB World Grand Prix 2007 Ningbo Team
Last updated: February 2010

Taismary Agüero Leiva Botteghi (born March 5, 1977) is a Cuban-born Italian volleyball player.

Life

Born in Yaguajay in the province of Sancti Spiritus, when 8 year old she began to play volleyball; two years later she entered in the Cerro Pelado Training Center in Havana. In 1993 she won the junior women's volleyball world championship then she joined the senior national team. She didn't participate in the 1994 FIVB Women's World Championship but she won the gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta two years later. In 1998 together with Mireya Luis, Regla Bell, Ana Ibis Fernandez, and Mirka Francia she won the 1998 FIVB Women's World Championship in Japan. In 2000 she was a member of the Cuban Woman volleyball national team that won the gold medal at the Sydney. In the summer 2001 she left the Cuban National Team during a tournament in Switzerland and applied for political asylum in Italy . The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) allowed her to play in Italy despite the opposition of Cuban volley federation and so she joined Pallavolo Sirio Perugia, an Italian volleyball club, where she had just played before during the 1998-1999 and 1999-2000 seasons. At the end of 2006 she became an Italian citizen after marrying Alessio Botteghi an Italian physiotherapist who, as of 2008, works for the Turkish National Women Volleyball team. In the summer of 2007 she joined the Italian national team.

Career

Agüero had played for two season for Sirio Perugia from 1998 to 2000 then she played again for Sirio from 2001 to 2005. From 2005 to 2007 she has played for Asystel Novara. In season 2007/2008 she played for Türk Telekom club in Ankara, in season 2009/2010 she will play for Carnaghi Villa Cortese team in the Italian League. Now Agüero both in club and in national team played as right hitters, while with the Cuban national teams she was setter/hitter.

Titles

In the 1993 junior championship she was named MVP, Best Setter and best server. In 1995 and 1997 she won the Panamerican games with Cuba, and, in 1996 and 2000, the Summer Olympics games. She was Italian national champion in 2002/2003 and 2004/2005.

Playing for Italy, she won the 2007 European Championship, where she was also declared Most Valuable Player, sha has also won the gold medal at 2009 European volleyball Championship

Clubs

• Sirio Perugia (1998-2005)
• Asystel Novara (2005-2007)
• Türk Telekom Ankara (2007-2009)
• Carnaghi Villa Cortese (2009-2010)

Individual awards

• 1999 FIVB World Cup "Most Valuable Player"
• 1999 FIVB World Cup "Best Server"
• 2007 FIVB World Grand Prix "Best Spiker"
• 2007 FIVB World Grand Prix "Best Scorer"
• 2007 European Championship "Most Valuable Player"

External links

• Official website
• FIVB Profile